Freedom
by harrypotter143
Summary: The way it should have gone when Sirius escaped from Azkaban. Just a short little "what-if" scenario. What if instead of going into hiding, Sirius had gone to Remus? Ambiguous ending. Oneshot.


_AN: I hit a bit of writer's block with Taking Charge and decided to write this. This is what I think should have happened when Sirius escaped from Azkaban. But, we don't all get our way. Sigh. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, except the general AU storyline. _

A man sat alone in a dark dingy cell where no light entered. The walls were slimy and if one were to touch them, they would chill them to the bone. The man was avoiding touching the walls for fear of what he would experience. He was, instead, huddled in a corner of the room covered with a thin, holey blanket.

Sirius Black was currently shivering from the cold but also from the feelings that the huge black shadow in front of the barred door was causing him to feel.

He started rocking back and forth as an image of a ruined cottage flashed in his mind. Part of the top floor appeared to have collapsed in on itself to the bottom floor. His mind drug him through the front door where he saw a crumpled body in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs.

Tears ran down his grimy face, carving a path as he continued past the body and up the stairs. When he reached the upstairs landing, he saw damage on the walls and followed it to a room that had the door flung open. The first thing he saw was the destroyed wall and floor that had collapsed. It was located behind a small crib where a baby lay, silent.

Sobs racked his frail body as he saw the red hair under a pile of rubble. A woman's broken and battered body lay among the debris, her unblinking eyes staring straight at where he stood. The sight caused his sobs to increase.

Near the crib was a pile of smoking black ashes that was ignored as he made to look inside the crib, hoping that the child inside was still alive.

Instead of looking in the crib, his memory jumped to when he handed the quiet, but alive, baby to a large man and allowed him the use of his motorcycle before apparating to a quiet alley beside a street full of muggles.

"Peter!"

A round man turned to look at where the scream came from, noticing Sirius standing with his wand pointing at him.

"How could you? They were our f-friends!" His voice broke as he fought back tears.

"How could you betray Lily and James?!"

His hand was shaking but he resolutely kept his wand pointed at Peter.

Peter laughed, joy on his face.

"I didn't kill them Sirius. You did"

His voice got louder as he ran to the edge of the alley in full sight of the muggles. Sirius followed him, hiding his wand but still pointing it at Peter.

"How could you Sirius? How could you kill Lily and James like that?"

The next thing Sirius knew, Peter cut off his finger and blew up the street as he turned into a rat and disappeared into the sewers.

The creature in front of the door moved away from his cell and he was given a reprieve from his memories. Quickly, before they decided to return, channeled his magic and shrunk. When he was finished, a black shaggy dog was in the cell instead of a man.

The dog's ribs were showing and he was able to squeeze through the bars on his door. Many black-robed figures patrolled the corridor but the dog was able to sneak past them all without them noticing.

When he finally arrived outside, he took a moment to sniff the night air. For the first time in twelve years, he was free from that infernal cell. Although it was slightly chilly, he leapt in the water and began to swim for the opposite shore.

It took about half an hour but he finally arrived and climbed up the shore. Padfoot collapsed to the ground, his skinny sides heaving from exertion. After a few minutes rest, he knew he had to move. It wouldn't take them long to discover that he was gone from his cell.

He travelled all night before coming upon a small village. He hoped it was a wizarding village so he could obtain the wand he would need to continue. When he entered, he was pleased to feel the hum of wards and knew that wizards were close.

After walking down the street, he saw a sign that had the image of a wand with sparks shooting out of it and knew he had found a wandmaker's shop. Thankfully, it was early in the morning and nobody was around. He found a window and transformed back to a man before checking the window and finding it open. He climbed inside and began to check all the wands to see which would be most compatible for him. After just five minutes, he found one that shot small sparks out of the end.

At that moment, he heard the doorknob rattle. Hurridly, he pocked the wand and changed back into Padfoot before jumping out the window.

Behind the town was a small forest. He ran into the foliage before changing back into a man. The first thing he did was transfigure his clothes into something a bit more decent. The he cast a _Scourgify _on himself to clean the grime off his body.

After he was finished, he clutched the wand close to his body before he turned sharply on the spot and disappeared.

He reappeared outside a small home in another set of woods. The house looked even more rundown that it had twelve years previously.

Nervously, he walked forward and knocked on the door. He didn't have to wait long for the door to open. A man who looked older than his years opened the door, a greeting frozen on his lips as he took in who was standing on his doorstep.

"Hello Moony," Sirius said, hesitantly.

Remus Lupin backed into his house, scared and unsure about what to do. His training kicked in as he drew his wand and pointed it at Sirius.

"What are you doing here Sirius?"

Sirius walked into the house and closed the door behind him before turning to Remus and pulling out his wand. The fear in Remus' eyes increased and turned into panic until he heard the words that had left Sirius' mouth.

Sirius raised his wand in his left hand and said, "I, Sirius Orion Black, do hereby swear on my magic that I did not tell Voldemort where Lily and James were hiding."

A brief flash of light enveloped Sirius' body before he cast a _Lumos,_ his wand tip lighting up to show that he still had his magic.

Remus sagged with relief and ran to give Sirius a tight hug. Both men were on the verge of tears but managed to control themselves.

"Sirius, I am so sorry for doubting you. Come sit down."

Sirius and Remus went to the living room where Remus summoned sandwiches and pumpkin juice. Sirius immediately dug into the food. Between bites, Sirius explained how they had made Peter the secret-keeper and that they believed Remus to be the spy.

"I'm sorry I thought you would betray them Remus. It was wrong of me."

"It's okay Padfoot. I believed you really did it. Why have you escaped now?"

Sirius pulled a newspaper clipping out of his pocket. On it was a large family. He pointed at the rat that one boy was holding.

Remus gasped. "Is that—"

"Yes. Peter is living with this family and they go to Hogwarts with Harry. I need to protect him. Peter could try something at any time."

Remus thought briefly before coming to a decision. He looked at Sirius and grinned, looking momentarily younger.

"Padfoot, I think I know just how to save Harry. I accepted a position from Dumbledore to work in the Defense Against the Dark Arts position this year."

Sirius grinned at Remus. They would capture Peter and make sure that he was cleared. Then, maybe, he could get to know Harry and let him know everything he needed to know.

_AN: So, what did you think? Was it good? Was it terrible? :)_


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